White Tiger
by Atemusluckygal
Summary: The gang is trapped in a big jungle, the Shadow Realm in disguise. A mysterious white tiger holds the Millennium Puzzle clenched in its mighty jaws, containing the precious soul of little Yugi; Yami must find it, with Tea's help. Some language. YamiXTea
1. Lost In The Jungle

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

I am a HUGE fan of Revolutionshipping, but mostly Yami Yugi/Atem. I don't mind Vaseshipping, either. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

"Yugi! Wake up pal!" a familiar Brooklyn-edged voice echoed in the small, spiky-haired boy's ears as he slowly drifted into consciousness. Yami Yugi opened his deep, violet eyes slowly, vision clearing as he made out the outlines of his best friend, Joey. The blonde's expression brightened up immediately when he saw that his buddy had finally come to. "You okay?" he asked.

Yami felt a little disoriented, as his memory of recent events, and awareness of current events, were failing him. "Whe-...where are we?" he inquired, disregarding Joey's question. Nothing in the general vicinity seemed familiar. Yami sat up and looked around. They were sitting in a secluded area amidst a huge jungle. Sporadic and potentially frightening noises sounded from their surroundings. The air was hot and extremely humid. Yami's skin and clothes felt slightly damp. Joey looked around as well.

"I have no idea..." Joey finally answered. "Last thing I remember, you, me, Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were eating at Burger World. My food was about to be served, and..."- he closed his eyes and pressed his palm against his temple -"I don't even remember what came after dat! I just...blacked out!" His skin also felt moist from the intense humidity.

Yami rubbed the back of his head with two fingers, trying to soothe the annoying headache. He then looked around for the others. "Where is Tea? And Tristan and Bakura?" he questioned. Joey didn't have to answer. Right on cue, Tristan and Tea came running from somewhere in the distance; Tristan's denim blue jacket was flailing wildly behind him, and Tea's short pink skirt waved behind her in a similar fashion. They stopped momentarily to catch their breath, and saw that Yami had woken up. "Yugi... you're... awake... !" Tea exclaimed, between breaths.

_Wait...Yugi! Where is he?_

Yami instinctively felt along his neck for the heavy chain that securely held his Millennium puzzle. It wasn't there. He looked around, hoping that it might have somehow dropped somewhere, or had been laid aside by Joey or someone else. Tristan looked at him questioningly. "What's the matter dude?" he asked. Yami didn't answer immediately. He stood up, fighting the wooziness in joint with sharp pains in his head. Joey held his elbow to steady him. "Has any of you seen my puzzle?" he muttered finally.

_Yugi? Hello? Are you there? Yugi! Where are you?_

"Your puzzle is GONE?" Tea exclaimed. Yami nodded in confirmation, after taking a final peripheral scan with his watchful eyes. "I can't sense Yugi's presence next to me. It's like he vanished off of the Earth." He tried his best to remain calm. He looked around once more, with his head this time. For that matter, it seems as if Bakura had disappeared as well. "Where is Bakura?" he asked. He had a strange feeling that led him to believe that Bakura's absence had something to do with them being in an unfamiliar territory. Then again, it was just a hunch. Like he is ever wrong about these things. The Millennium Ring around Bakura's neck had always proven to be bad news: for Bakura, and everyone else as well.

"Well, we searched everywhere for any kind of clue we could find that could tell us where we are right now..." Tristan interrupted Yami's thought process, his rampant gasps for air slowing down a bit, "but we couldn't find anything."

Tea nodded. "I _did_ find some spiders and other critters that I wish I never had encountered," she added.

"Please, those bugs were smaller than my fingernail," Tristan winked at her. "You're such a wimp!"

Tea glared at him. "WHAT was that you just said?!" she roared at him, grabbing his ear. Tristan pleaded for mercy and rescinded his comment.

A sudden low growl emitted from a nearby area, interrupting their babble. It definitely did not sound like a human growl - more like a ferocious, hungry, killing animal growl. Yami, almost unconsciously, stood in a protective position in front of his friends. If Bakura was going to play a game with them, he was to make sure that none of his friends are hurt.


	2. Sinking Fast

**Chapter 2**

Faint whimpering could be heard over Yami Yugi's shoulder as Tea cringed in fear. "W-w-w-what was that?" she whispered, while trembling.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound too friendly to me," Tristan mumbled.

Yami nodded in agreement, without disturbing his focus on the source of the mysterious sound. He carefully and slowly removed his navy blue jacket from his shoulders, feeling the cloth being separated from his clammy skin. He boldly tossed the jacket into a bush, a good ways in front of him, while immediately stepping back and holding his breath. An ear-shattering snarl emitted from the bush – the jacket caught onto an animal hiding behind it. The animal leaped out of the bush in frantic movements, as its vision was blocked by the jacket.

However, the gang instantly identified the animal as a white tiger, or a snow tiger. While the white tiger was struggling with the article of clothing hugging the upper half of its body, the four teenagers split off and ran in two separate directions: Tristan followed Joey, and Tea followed Yami.

Yami felt a strange feeling that made him stop dead in his tracks. Tea collided with him, almost knocking him over. Yami looked back behind him, past Tea and at the disgruntled white tiger, which had finally freed itself from the entrapment of the blue jacket. But that's not what had specifically caught Yami's attention. He noticed right away what the white tiger had clenched in its powerful jaws. Tea followed his gaze and saw it too.

A familiar silver chain, connected to the familiar pyramid-shaped object hanging from it.

_The Millennium Puzzle! _Yami exclaimed in his thoughts. _But, how the hell do I get to it, without getting mauled?_

Split seconds later, the white tiger was on the run, its powerful body sprinting quickly and magnificently out of sight. It carried the puzzle in its mouth without any effort at all, as if it were light as a feather. Yami tore after it, tossing his previous doubts and focused on obtaining his puzzle back and rescuing Yugi, no matter the means of doing so. Tea followed him, but couldn't keep up for long. After yards of constant chasing after such an athletically-built creature, Yami slowed down, exhausted to the bone. Sweat was running down his face.

A faint, distant chuckle was heard. Before Yami could stop to observe what he heard just a moment ago, he heard a scream shortly after. He skidded to a complete halt, and turned around to see Tea struggling. Her boots had dissolved into quicksand, and the rest of her was sinking fast.

Yami looked back at the white tiger momentarily. He had to choose between the pursuit of the puzzle, and saving his friend from the quicksand. He had to think on his feet. This could be the only chance he had at rescuing Yugi. Then again, Tea was in trouble, and he felt obliged to help her as well. Tears streaking his eyes as he turned away from the white tiger and ran to Tea to help her.

By the time Yami had finally reached her, Tea was waist-deep in the hungry quicksand that surrounded her. She was completely helpless and unable to free himself. Yami gasped in horror as his friend was being swallowed by the sinking sand. He ran to her and grabbed hold of her wrists, attempting to pull her out, but to no avail. She only seemed to be sinking deeper. It wasn't long until her head had finally submerged into the depths of the earth. Yami knew full well that if he didn't act fast, Tea would suffocate and die.

He quickly looked around, scaling the trees and the bushes and the ground for anything that could possibly help him rescue her. Heart vigorously pounding in his chest, he grabbed a long vine and tied it to a nearby tree trunk. Firmly gripping the vine, Yami shut his eyes and dove in the quicksand. He used every muscle in his arm to search for Tea in the heavy endurance of the sand. Having absolutely no ability to see anything, he desperately hunted for any sign of another body inside the chasm of sand. When he was sure he grabbed something, he used every muscle in his _other_ arm to pull both him and Tea out of there. As soon as both heads finally broke the surface, they gasped for air as Yami continued to pull them out.

Soon, both were heavily panting and coughing sand from their lungs while lying on the solid earth floor. Both were covered head to toe with dry sand.

"Are... you... okay?" Yami croaked while still trying to catch his breath. His whole body was very sore and his muscles were throbbing painfully.

"......uh-huh...." Tea wheezed, also fatigued from the near-death experience. She coughed a few more times, before sitting up.

"Thank goodness," Yami breathed a sigh of relief. Tea looked down and smiled at him. "Th-...thank you for saving me, Pharaoh," she whispered. He requited her smile, but briefly. A seriousness fell over his face. He sat up and turned his head to the other direction. The white tiger was gone. He sighed.

"So...what now?" Tea asked him, knowing full well what he was searching for at the moment. He looked at her, his enchanting violet eyes gently placing its gaze onto Tea's soft, blue ones. Yami didn't answer. Instead, he sunk to his knees and broke out into uncontrollable sobs.


	3. Sad Eyes

**Chapter 3**

The trees of the jungle seem to stand taller and firmer still as the former pharaoh wept on his knees. His spirit was broken, confused, and doubtful. He had no energy left to be angry, except at himself. Even in their circumstances, where neither he nor Tea knew where in hell they could be – he still blamed himself for, once again, failing his duty to protect his lighter half.

Tea looked down at Yami in worry and sorrow. She could hear him mumbling nothings to himself inbetween choking sobs. She had absolutely no idea what to say or do that could possibly help him in any way. The sun was setting, they were lost in Ra knows where, and the mysterious white tiger holding the Millennium Puzzle in its jaws was long gone. Not to mention Joey, Tristan, and Bakura were all lost somewhere in this place.

"Pharaoh..." was all Tea could say as she knelt down to comfort him. She placed her left hand on his shoulder, and used the other hand to prop up his chin so she could see his tear-stained face. She had a mini-motivational speech planned for him; hopefully forcing eye contact with him would strengthen her words and their meaning, and force him to listen.

As soon as Tea gazed into his eyes, her heart sunk and she forgot everything she intended to say. His captivating amethyst eyes - ones that usually held confidence, valor, intimidation, and sincerity... were flowing with heartbroken tears. His eyes no longer depicted what a courageous and bold man he was; they were cold and distressed. They screamed of loneliness and extreme disappointment in oneself. The pharaoh's eyes were undoubtedly the saddest pair of eyes she had ever seen. Having to look at them simply tore at her heart. She _really_ didn't know what to do now.

Feeling tears of her own forming along the brims of her eyes, she embraced the pharaoh, encircling her arms around his shaking form. Since her hand was the only thing supporting Yami's chin, it fell on her shoulder as she hugged him. Only a few minutes later did he finally return the gesture, pulling her in for a desperately-needed hug. Tea felt his strong arms hold her. She controlled her crying, reducing it to intermittent sniffles as she hugged him tighter still.

"You can't give up, Pharaoh," Tea whispered in his ear. "You can still save Yugi. You just have to believe in yourself." She finally let go of him and helped him to his feet.

_Yugi, please... answer me! Even without the Millennium Puzzle, our bond still exists! I'm coming to save you... don't lose your faith in me Yugi. I will thwart Bakura and his evil scheme and find a way out of this place._

The sun was nearly set, and darkness had spread across the jungle. The temperature suddenly became deathly cold. _What the hell kind of place is this?_ Yami thought to himself. _Jungles typically don't have such an extreme drop in temperature after nightfall._ He looked around. _Then again, they typically don't have white tigers running around with sacred Millennium items in their midst, either. Bakura is one strange, twisted son of a bitch._

"We need to find...some sort of shelter...for the night, anyway," he said tentatively, changing the subject. Tea nodded. By the time complete darkness came full circle, they were nestled at the base of a wide tree.

By this time, Yami was quite relieved to be able to relax for a few minutes. His whole body was drained of energy. Tea was also tired, and was snuggling with Yami in order to keep warm. No matter what situation they end up in, she always happened to choose the wrong clothing. Her white tank top did virtually nothing to shield her arms from the bitter and uncharacteristically cold temperatures. Even with Yami's sturdy arms holding her, her teeth were still chattering noisily. Yami was also wearing a tank top, his usual black, which also did nothing for him. His jacket was miles away from where they were. He depended on Tea's body warmth to keep him from freezing his ass over. Soon after he felt her body fall limp against him, indicating she was sound asleep, he rested his head on hers and also fell into a deep slumber.

Yami awoke in his soul room. No sign of Yugi anywhere. However, another familiar face looked down over him as he stood up. He let out a small chuckle while gracefully brushing his white bangs from his face, revealing menacingly red eyes. The evil spirit of the Millennium Ring was standing right there, in Yugi's and Yami's soul room. But how?


	4. Penny For Your Thoughts

**Chapter 4**

What was perhaps around 10:00pm in the real world, Joey and Tristan had created a "mattress" made from various sized and shaped twigs, leaves, and vines. They were miles away from their friends and even further away from any civilization. Joey lied on his stomach on the "bed" and pondered about things, of which Tristan finally asked: penny for your thoughts?

Joey moved his eyes towards Tristan, but kept his head where it was.

"It's just...strange," he started. "First off, we don't even know where we are, how we got here, and how we get out of here. I don't even remember what happened before all this."

"And?"

"And, Bakura is nowhere to be found."

"What I want to know is, what the hell is a snow tiger doing in the middle of a jungle? Aren't they usually... in the snow?"

"That's true. But those kinds of questions can wait. We still need to figure out the more important things, like how we get back home."

Joey looked up at Tristan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed as well and listening attentively while observing the surroundings. "Do you remember what we were doing before we got here?" Joey asked him.

Tristan shook his head. "Not a thing." Joey went back to staring in front of him as he scraped his mind of any memories of events prior to waking up in the middle of the jungle. The glow of the moon shone in his worried hazel eyes.

"Come to think of it, though," Tristan started, "I do remember being at Burger World with the gang. And I remember feeling funny after drinking that lemonade that was served to us. Tasted funny, too."

Joey's eyes lit up instantly. He had a hunch.

"Yeah, I remember that too!" Joey agreed. "All woozy and whatnot. And we all drank it. That's when I remember blacking out. Something... something weird must have been in that lemonade!"

Tristan gave him a skeptical look, and stroked his chin. He didn't quite follow. This doesn't make sense... or does it?

"You mean to say... that someone spiked our lemonade, and then knocked us out, and somehow by some strange twisted magic, we ended up in this random wilderness out in the middle of nowhere?"

Joey nodded, then shrugged.

"Nothing is for sure, obviously, but it's the only explanation I can think of right now. Anyway, my head hurts and we should be getting to sleep." He rested his chin on his wrists before he finally fell asleep.

'_I only hope Yugi and Tea are alright'_ Tristan thought to himself as he lied down beside Joey, attempted to make himself comfortable. The scratchy twigs were making his skin itch.

'_...wherever they are.'_

He mentally concluded his final hopeful wishes in his head before drifting off into a troubled sleep.


	5. Mind Game

**Chapter 5**

"Well well, my Pharaoh," mused an unmistakable sinister voice.

Yami Bakura's hostile blood-red eyes penetrated Yami Yugi's deep violet eyes, sending waves of intimidation and threatening vibes through Yami, and quickening his heart rate a bit. Yami felt afraid. He was afraid because his balancing light half, Yugi, wasn't there beside him like he normally was. It felt as if he were facing an enemy twice his size, alone, while standing on one foot, or perhaps one eye blinded. Yami, for the first time, felt weak and powerless, at Bakura's mercy. But...why did he feel that way? Whatever, he couldn't show it.

Sweat forming along his brow, Yami finally contained himself for the time being, and created his facade of fearlessness (of which he rarely had to do because his spirit was usually already fueled by his undying confidence and poise).

"Bakura..." he responded finally. Bakura simply grinned, maniacally, knowing full well that Yami had faltered in his defenses, with his Millennium Puzzle far from reach, and his "weaker" half, and his other friends are not with him in spirit. Tea, who was previously sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder and depending on him for warmth, was also not there.

"I knew you were behind this, you bastard."

"What brings you here, Atem?" asked Bakura sarcastically, snootily addressing Yami by his real first name. Yami snarled in disgust at the blatant disrespect of such a powerful word. No tomb robber should have the permission to address him by his royal name, especially in such an insulting manner.

"What are you talking about, Bakura?" Yami responded, disregarding the previous comment, and trying to maintain his cool. He crossed his arms impatiently. "This is _my_ mind, and _my_ sacred sanctuary... and last time I checked, you're not exactly a welcomed guest."

"Oh, I see how it is, Pharaoh," Bakura replied calmly. "Is that all I get, after all this time? Don't you miss me at all?" He let out a subtle chuckle. "So I've infiltrated your mind a couple of times, stolen a few souls, toyed with a few of your idiotic little friends. No need to get nasty with me."

Yami rolled his eyes, obviously not amused with Bakura's satirical commentary. "Look Bakura, you've cause me and my friends nothing but trouble and suffering since we've met you and you've taken over and manipulated the good Bakura's life with the powers of the Millennium Ring.

"You know what?" Yami added, rather irritated. "Screw the stupid shadow games, they're a waste of time, and for cowards that don't have the physical strength and courage to fight their own damned battles."

He clenched his right fist. "I suggest you get out of here before I, quite literally, beat the shit out of you."

"I don't think you're in the position to be making threats, _O Great Pharaoh_, especially such violent ones," Bakura answered, again, with a composed demeanor. This troubled Yami, greatly. He would only be maintaining such a confident stance if he had the upper hand with something that he had planned. And the only thing he planned for is to obtain power, somehow. Each time, he always came so dangerously close, by means of harming his friends, and sometimes even Yami, to get to that point.

"Just tell me what you've done Bakura." Yami demanded. "I am in no mood for your stupid ass games and tricks. So stop pissing me off and tell me what is going on. First of all, where are we, where have you taken us? Why are we here?" He shifted his menacing glare downwards to his still-clenched fist. "And why does that dumb animal have _my_ Millennium Puzzle? The puzzle that contains the very spirit of Yugi Moto, the one whose body I now inhabit?!"

Bakura didn't answer. He instead broke out into hysterics, maniacal laughter that made the hair on the back of Yami's neck stand up (you know, the hair that isn't already standing up). Yami momentarily lost control and approached Bakura, grabbing him by the collar so tightly that it would have killed him if he were a mortal human. He pulled him in so their faces were inches apart.

"I want answers NOW, Bakura!" Yami raged, glaring furiously at Bakura's face, which was very close to his. The energy spent on this outburst left him panting a little, while not interrupting his focusing stare. Bakura merely smirked and did not recoil. In fact, he didn't move at all, at first.

It happened so quickly, Yami hardly knew what happened. Suddenly he felt a sharp blow in his solar plexus as Bakura's fist struck deep into Yami's stomach. Yami felt all of his breath leave him instantly as he lost his grip on Bakura and weakly fell to his knees, bending over and hugging his middle with both arms while gasping for air. Bakura took the opportunity to swing his fist at him again, this time clocking him on the side of his face. Yami was sent to the ground on his side, abandoning his stomach injury with one arm and grabbing the large bruise on his cheekbone. It throbbed painfully and stung, too. Soon after, he realized that from the fall that he had bitten a chunk of his tongue off, and blood perpetually filled his mouth. Too overwhelmed with pain, Yami spat some blood and shut his eyes and braced himself for what was yet to come.


	6. A Familiar Savior

**Chapter 6**

"What was that you said, Pharaoh-" Bakura yelled over Yami's moans of pain as he was cheerfully kicking Yami's sides and making him roll over and over, "-about not being able to physically fight my own battles?!" He kicked Yami's stomach, renewing the effects of the impact from the first blow received, causing Yami to whimper faintly. This caused Bakura to laugh, satisfied at the distortion on his face.

"Well, I suppose I could do a little more damage than you first thought, eh?" Bakura sneered, as he wrapped his cold, bony white fingers around the weakened pharaoh's neck, lifting him off the ground with ease. The pharaoh choked and gagged and struggled to breathe, but to no avail. Bakura ran his back straight into the cold stone wall of the soul room. Yami choked more as he spit another mouthful of blood on the ground, grimacing from the harsh, irony taste.

"You do realize," started Bakura while moving his face closer to Yami's, "that if I kill you here in your soul room, your mind will be an empty shell, and you'll cease to exist in the real world?" He chuckled evilly as his grip tightened around Yami's throat.

His hands, his stare, his breath, all so... cold. Felt like... his imminent death. His words slithered out of his mouth like venomous snakes, intimidating and preying on their helpless victim before lunging for the kill.

"You'll never wake up, pharaoh! You'll be dead, you hear me! DEAD!" Bakura was pretty much going mental at this point. "Who will save Yugi from the white beast now, when you're completely _lifeless_..." Veins bulged from his face and pulsated madly.

"No..." was all Yami could muster.

His eyes started to cloud over as he was losing consciousness...

His head was spinning...

_I failed you, Yugi... please, forgive me..._

His vision started to blur...

"WAIT!" a sudden voice boomed from a distance. Bakura snapped his head in the direction of the voice, startled at the interruption. Distracted at finding the source of the voice, he loosened his grip on the pharaoh's throat. Yami desperately gasped for air, while trying to focus on the mysterious figure who, somewhat, saved him. He spat more blood onto the floor.

"Bakura lies!" said the figure, a silhouette in the shadowy part of the room. But this time, her voice seemed familiar. Very, very familiar. A soft voice in nature, but firm and assertive when put to the test. The same female voice that Yami heard every day, the same voice that cheered him on when he fought his hardest, the same voice that believed in him, no matter the situation; and the voice that secretly brought him the most happiness and comfort when he was in the most broken states.

But that can't be... Tea? He _must've_ been hallucinating. This _was_ his own mind, after all. But she seemed so... different. What was different about her? Why was his mind playing tricks on him?

The figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light, revealing the familiar dark brown-haired girl that was his friend Tea. She opened her eyes, revealing captivating ocean-blue eyes that emitted power beyond what she ever had before. And she was staring right at Yami with an 'I'm-going-to-help-you-out-of-your-deep-shit-so-listen-up' expression.

"Excuse me, little girl" – now it was Bakura's turn to get impatient – "it is quite rude to interrupt, especially issues that don't concern you." He finally released Yami from his grip completely, who slid along the wall down to the floor, gasping for air and spitting up more blood.

"Pharaoh!" Tea called out to him, ignoring the tomb robber's remark.

"Tea! Are you alright?"

"Bakura can't kill you, Yami."

"What?" Yami looked up at her in confusion, still clenching his throat.

"He can cause you great pain and suffering," – she watched him spit more blood before continuing - "but he cannot take you away from this world, not from here. He has to fatally harm you in person, not mentally."

The pharaoh was confused. Mental harm? How can this be? And why is Tea telling him all this? What does she know?

"Tea, what are you talking about?" Yami questioned. "Get out of here, before you get hurt!" He pleaded her. After nearly having lost her in the depths of the quicksand, he was ready to do whatever it takes to keep her from harm.

"Pharaoh," she addressed him again, "Tea is still asleep on your shoulder, in the real world. However I had to borrow her spirit body to communicate with you in your mind, as her living spirit form resides in your memories."

Yami stared at her in disbelief. His best girl friend's spirit form being inhabited? By who?

"If you're not Tea, then who are you?" Yami asked, his voice trembling.

A swirl of bright blue light surrounded Tea's form as her attire went through a transformation. A blue magician's dress flowed around Tea and dressed her, a perfect fit. Matching boots appeared on her feet, and a magician's hat on her head. Finally, the unmistakable magician's staff materialized in her right hand. When the light had finally dimmed, Yami's eyes widened in absolute bewilderment.

"Dark Magician Girl?"


	7. Guilty As Charged

**Chapter 7**

"Dark Magician Girl?"

Yami couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked several times, but could still see his best girl friend's body with the power of the Dark Magician Girl, standing right there, in his soul room.

"Yes pharaoh, it is me, Dark Magician Girl," she responded. She glared at Bakura and pointed her staff at him threateningly. Bakura turned to face her completely, a look of awe on his face.

"Dark spirit of the ring," she addressed him, cold stare unmoving, "you are an intruder in the pharaoh's mind. You have entrapped them in the Shadow Realm and deceived them into thinking they're in a jungle miles from civilization, while manipulating life-threatening situations intending to kill them. And, you've stolen the Millennium Puzzle from its possessor. You have disgraced the pharaoh greatly, and for that you must pay."

"Wait," Yami couldn't help but interrupt, "we're in the _Shadow Realm_?!"

"I believe I can illuminate the air with a few answers," stated Bakura, eying the Dark Magician Girl's staff. He turned to Yami, who was still sitting on the floor with a worried expression.

A wicked smile formed across his lips. "I'm afraid I'm guilty as charged, my young friends. And unfortunately for you, escaping will not be so simple."

"What do you mean, Bakura?" Yami asked him angrily. He stood up slowly, grimacing at the pain of his injuries and light-headedness. He spat more blood, but it was less this time. Without shifting his glare, he wiped the bloody residue from his lip and chin with his hand.

"Well, to put it simply, your minds are trapped in this mock-jungle Shadow Realm, an illusion that I created to fool you and your friends to believe that you are in a tropical wasteland. Your motionless bodies are still lying on the floor in Burger World in Domino."

"But... why?" Yami asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Have you forgotten, pharaoh? I have such a lust for power and control over feeble young lives... it's quite... " – Bakura licked his lips – "delicious."

Yami's eyes narrowed in disgust. "You're sick."

"Why, thank you, I consider that quite a compliment. Now, if you want to have any glimmer of hope for escaping this world, you'll have to defeat me, first."

"In what?"

"Why, a Shadow Game, of course! Silly of you to question anything otherwise...after all I _am_ the king of darkness and shadows... I've obviously already proven myself to be able to hold my own in a physical battle" – he eyed Yami in his weakened state, as he was barely standing and holding his stomach with his arm – "but I'm afraid killing you that way will not be as much _fun_ as I would like. Plus, any commonplace able-bodied human has the capability to take your life in the real world by means of physical harm; why not I use my... shall we say... _unique_ talents to do the job for me?" Bakura's British-edged accent somehow made him sound much more sinister and cold-blooded.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any lower..." Yami growled. "You go and prove me wrong." His voice traveled deeply into its lower register, reflecting both pain and resentment.

"Oh yeah? Wait until I send your dear friend and loyal companion into complete oblivion, in front of your very eyes!" His outburst was so abrupt, Yami was caught by surprise. His eyes widened in horror as Bakura swiftly waved his hand in front of Tea's body, about to perform the dreaded dark magic that would eradicate Tea and Dark Magician Girl and erase them from his mind forever.

_DARK MAGIC ATTACK_!

A flash of light shone brightly from the point of Tea's staff and illuminated the whole room. Bakura screamed in agony as he fell to the floor, his eyes turning blank and opaque. His body went through a not-very-pretty transformation into sand and disintegrated into a pile of grit and dirt, and faded into nothing. But his voice could still be heard.

"I'll get you pharaoh! You have _not_ seen the last of me, and you will not until you die by my hand! Come and find me, coward! I'll be waiting for you. You'll never escape as long as I control your fate in this wilderness."

And after that, nothing.

Yami fell back onto his knees, nauseous from the constant taste of blood and exhausted from shock at what he just saw, and keeping himself standing and alert. Dark Magician Girl looked down at him worriedly, and knelt down before him while placing a hand on his tense shoulder.

"Keep Tea close by," she instructed him. "Don't let her out of your sight. Not only does she need absolute protection, but she can prove to be of use to you in your battles to come. She wields a great power that could assist you."

Yami looked up and locked eye contact with his friend's stern, mystical blue eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked weakly.

"When the time comes, you'll find out. What I can tell you is that Bakura is still out there, recovering and scheming to kill you and trap your friends here for all eternity. He also plans to win the Shadow Game so he can claim your Millennium Puzzle and all of its powers for himself. If you cannot stop him, no one will."

And with that, she faded away into an array of glimmering blue lights. With total fatigue finally overtaking him, Yami passed out on the cold, solid floor of his own soul room, as the lights from Dark Magician Girl's presence dimmed into complete nothingness.


	8. Apple in Your Eye

**Chapter 8**

"Yami! Yami, wake up! Please!" pleaded a recognizable female voice. Yami opened his eyes slowly, still feeling the sensation that he was falling, and jerked around a bit and shut his eyes again. Cold sweat ran down his face. He was lying in an almost-fetal position on the dirty jungle floor. Tea's concerned face appeared in his vision as it cleared. She was kneeling before his shaking form. It was still dark out.

Yami sat up slowly, gazing at Tea with an unfamiliar expression: confusion, as if he had no idea who she was. What distracted him was the fact that he could no longer feel the stomach pains he had felt before. He placed a hand on his face where Bakura had struck him, but there was no bruise. Lastly, he rubbed his tongue around in his closed mouth, against his lower teeth and the roof of his mouth. Not even a hint of a sting; every piece was there. No blood.

"Are you...um...okay?" Tea asked him hesitantly. She had no idea why the pharaoh was acting this strangely. She reached out a hand to...well...it was unclear what she intended to do, as she quickly retreated – perhaps was about to touch his face, or his shoulder, but was too scared to hurt or startle him.

"What...happened?" Yami asked her groggily, ignoring her question.

"Ummm..." Tea started but hesitated, as if she was afraid to answer him. "Well, you started shaking, like, really bad... and then you started mumbling in your sleep, but I couldn't make out what you were saying." Yami nodded, taking it all in.

"And then it got _really_ weird... you started to burn up, like a fever or something... and then you collapsed on the ground and started contracting in pain... I got so scared because I thought you were really sick, and –"

"Well I'm not sick, that's for sure," Yami interrupted her. "Or at least, I don't think I am. I might just be going insane." He offered her a small, hardly sincere smile, of which she requited. The smiles quickly faded as Yami wondered further about what had just happened.

"Tea," he looked at her, his amethyst eyes full of questions.

_Keep Tea close by. Don't let her out of your sight. Not only does she need absolute protection, but she can prove to be of use to you in your battles to come. She wields a great power that could assist you..._

Dark Magician Girl's instructions echoed in his head.

"Yes?"

He opened his mouth to speak. He was about to ask her why she had been present in his subconscious mind, wielding the power and form of the Dark Magician Girl. He was about to ask how she knew anything about Bakura's inability to kill him in his own mind, and his scheme to trap them in this forsaken world which is the Shadow Realm. He was about to implore her for answers, but something told him that she doesn't have them. He closed his mouth again and shook his head.

"Erm...nevermind. Sorry, Tea."

"Umm...okay," was all Tea could think to say. She frowned. "Are you hungry?" She felt her own stomach growl obnoxiously.

"Honestly, I couldn't eat right now Tea. Not with what's on my mind right now."

Tea looked unsurely at him. He returned her expression with a small and assuring smile.

"But I'll help you find food though... you should eat."

_There he goes again, neglecting himself and helping me out,_ Tea thought to herself. Tea nodded, still unsure. Her stomach still rumbled with need for nutrition, though. She took the hand he offered her and they both rose to their feet and continued in pursuit for something to eat.

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Far off from the jungle, unbeknownst to the gang that wandered the enormous tropical forest, a dark figure delicately traced his rough, callused fingers around the sharp rim of the Millennium Puzzle. He watched over the four teenagers all the while, with the help of his Millennium Ring, displayed images of both groups of adolescents as they adjust to their surroundings.

It's quite bizarre, actually, as the visuals being given were as if they were coming from surveillance cameras - he was able to see any person at any given time from any angle he chose. But, as we all know, there are no surveillance cameras in the shadow realm.

He chuckled to himself. The low, hoarse voice echoed off of the aged brick walls of the abandoned underground sanctuary, as if six men were laughing rather than one.

"Ahh, now what danger shall befall these fools _this_ time?" the dark figure crooned to himself. "Ah yes, of course." He traced the rim of the Millennium Ring with his knuckle, in an almost seductive manner. He watched as the pharaoh assisted Tea by giving her a boost so she can pluck some fruit from a tree.

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By dawn, Tea had a sizeable pile of apples, oranges, mangos, and pears beside her. She sat tiredly at the base of the tree where she had slept upon merely hours before, gratefully munching on a perfectly yellow pear, savoring its sweet taste. Yami sat cross-legged across from her, playing with small twigs and deeply involved in his respective thoughts. After aiding Tea in obtaining the fruit, he had not taken a single one. Tea frowned at the sight of him sitting there with nothing to eat, while she was rudely munching away.

"Hey," she called out to him, "...you need to eat."

He didn't look up. "No thanks, Tea, I'm not hungry."

"Yeah? Well I don't care. You _need_ to eat something."

"Tea I really don- "

Yami was interrupted by a flying object colliding with his face and falling to the ground with a faint _thud_. He recoiled and moved a hand to his face where the green apple had hit him. He looked at Tea, whose face was turned to the side. She was desperately trying to keep from laughing.

"Tea!" Yami scolded her, even though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Tea giggled.

"What?"

"You threw an apple at me!"

"Who, me?" Tea pointed at herself innocently.

"Right, as if anyone else could have."

"Don't worry about who threw it. Just eat it." She winked at him.

He finally smiled a genuine smile. He took a bite from the apple, and realized how hungry and malnutritioned he actually was.


	9. The River Scene

**Chapter 9**

By the time the two teenagers finished their meal, the sun was beating down on them heavily from overhead, with intense humidity. With arms over their heads shielding them from the powerful sun's rays, they searched desperately for anything that could bring them relief.

"Just...GREAT," Tea complained out loud, a little out of breath. "scorching hot and humid during the day, cold as _shit_ at night." Yami shifted his eyes to her briefly, slightly taken aback at hearing her curse for the first time. He looked away before she noticed. Yami himself felt the heat and moisture hug his skin as it became increasingly clammy. He heard a very faint sound from the distance; sounded like a trickle of water. He hoped to Ra it wasn't a trick of his mind.

"Tea, I hear something!" Yami said. He closed his eyes, concentrated with his ears to determine where the sound was coming from, and reluctantly took gradual steps in that direction. Tea followed him, while straining to listen for the "something" that Yami was talking about. It wasn't long until, to their delight and relief, they had come across an opening in the trees, with which had a small river flowing rapidly. It wasn't very large – about 6 feet in width. The water in the river was crystal clear and its reflection of the sky matched the bright, cerulean-blue eyes on Tea's face. Even the sound of the water traveling down the waterway over the rocks, vegetation and mud soothed them and brought peace to their bodies, as if they had already taken a nice cool drink.

"I don't know _how_ you heard that and found this," Tea started, while looking at him. " -but I officially love you." She tiredly ran to the rushing water, leaving Yami with that last comment lingering in the air for a moment.

Yami froze on the spot, momentarily forgetting his exhaustion from the heat. _Did she just say she loves me?_ he thought to himself. _No, that's stupid, she only made a sarcastically friendly remark because I found water. No need to over-think these trivial things._ He had no idea why, or how, he got to hopeful thinking about Tea's intentions, or even her true feelings. He decided to discard the thought for now and joined his friend at the edge of the river.

"Yami, you have no idea how good this feels!" Tea told him excitedly once he joined her. She turned her face towards the water and splashed a cupful of cool water in her face, and rubbing the excess from her eyes.

"Sure, because you're the only one that's dying from the jungle's merciless heat," came his sarcastic reply, with a smile to match. Tea rolled her eyes at him. Yami ran his hand through the chilly water and instantly felt his whole body relieved. With a mischievous grin, he scooped up some water with his hand while she wasn't looking, and with a graceful swing, he flung the cool water at the side of her face. Tea recoiled and let out a small squeak from the sudden chilliness that collided with her face. Yami laughed out loud at her reaction – something he rarely does... though it was cut short as Tea promptly tackled him in retaliation, sending them both into the gentle currents of the flowing river.

After a few minutes of play in the water, Yami felt an overwhelming sensation course through him... he needed something, something that would be very comforting to him. As Tea broke the surface for air after their last playful encounter, he searched for her hand in the water and drew her in closer to him after he had found it. Tea was startled at this sudden gesture, and a streak of pink appeared across her cheeks. Yami held a tight grip on her hand with his own, not at all realizing what he was actually doing. He gently pulled her along with the current, and once she was close enough, he let go of her hand and gracefully slid his arm around her waist, pulling her in so their bodies touched. The feeling of his strong and fit body against hers made Tea blush profusely. At long last, Yami pulled his other arm around her, pulling her in for a tight embrace.

Tea felt that he needed this; she could tell by the way he held her tightly, as if he feared that she would leave him or be taken away from him. Confused, but compassionate nonetheless, she wrapped her own arms around his slender waist, resting her head on his chest. Unbeknownst to her, Yami was thinking about what Dark Magician Girl, in Tea's (sort of) body, told him about Tea. He looked down at her with his eyes, first tracing her scalp with his gaze, and eventually admired the full head of beautiful brown hair.

_Tea wields a great power?_ he questioned himself. _It just... doesn't seem right to me. She is a completely innocent girl – sweet, kind, playful, smart...beautiful..._

Yami abruptly snapped back into reality, and had a sudden realization of what he was doing, because his heart rate picked up a bit, and he took one quick, irregular breath, as if he had been scared to death by something. After a few seconds, he seemed to calm down. For a while, not a word was spoken, just the two enjoying each other's company.

"Tea..." Yami's sudden words startled her a little bit.

"Yeah, Yami?"

"I want to thank you. You know, for being there for me, when I needed someone most. It means more to me than you may think." Tea felt his chest and throat vibrate as his deep, alluring baritone voice filled her ears with absolute comfort and warmth.

"Uh, no problem Yami! You know I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Don't ever forget that."

"Right, I won't," he assured her, while pulling her closer still. Tea felt the flock of butterflies in her stomach emerge from its inner depths. Yami closed his eyes slowly and enjoyed the moment with his other senses.

_Well well well. How touching. Too bad it will end soon. There's nothing I'd love more than to forcefully break up such a tender romance..._

Yami snapped back to reality. Tea felt his entire body tense up as the third-party's voice boomed across the sky. Yami's hold on her quickly changed from an affectionate embrace to a protective shield.

"Who's there?" Yami bellowed to the sky. There was no answer, only the water that surrounded their enclosed bodies suddenly started to rush faster and more furiously, causing them to lose their balance and succumb to the powerful force of the river's current. It wasn't long after fighting off the pull of the water when Yami's head collided with a large rock on the side of the river, striking a good amount of blood. The last thing he felt before blacking out was Tea's hand sliding out of his.


	10. Reunited

**Chapter 10**

Hearing slight mumbling in the background, Tea cracked her eyes open slowly. She raised her arm to block the overwhelmingly bright sun in her eyes. Her vision cleared to see two silhouettes sitting cross-legged at her side. She became frightened for a moment, afraid of who they might be, until she finally made out the two familiar faces: Joey and Tristan.

"Hey, she's awake!" Tristan exclaimed to Joey, whose head was turned beforehand. The teenage boys watched as Tea struggled to her elbows. She finally gained the strength to speak.

"What... happened...?" Tea managed to say, feeling slightly dizzy and not quite knowing why.

"We saw you on the edge of that river over there," replied Joey, pointing at the same river she was playing with in with Yami earlier, located a few feet from where she was lying, "and you were unconscious."

"That's right, I remember now," she told her blonde friend. "The river current started to get faster, and I remember losing my balance and fighting to get to the edge and out of the river. And Yami -" she gasped, interrupting herself, reminded of when they were separated. "Yami!" her frightened eyes frantically searched their surroundings. Joey and Tristan gave her a puzzled look.

"Wait, Yami?" Tristan asked her. "Wait, that's right! He was with you!"

"Where is he? Have you seen him?!" she implored him. "We got separated in the current. Please... I think he's hurt..."

Tristan sadly shook his head. "Didn't see him at all. You're the only one that was here when we arrived here."

Tea felt tears forming in her eyes as she feared for the man who held her close to him not too long ago. She _knew_ he was hurt; she saw the streaks of crimson blood slither from his head and mix with the fast, rushing waters. She also felt his hand go limp as he lost his grip on hers. The tears finally started cascading down her cheeks at the recollection of the sheer horror she had felt.

"But don't worry, Tea, we'll find him," Joey continued for Tristan. "And I'm sure he's alright..." his words didn't seem to comfort Tea at all, as he was also unsure of what he was saying, and she could hear it.

Tea abruptly stood, shaking the dirt off of her skirt. "I'm going to look for him. Are you guys coming with me?"

"Sure thing Tea. If we follow the river's current, we'll be sure to find him in no time."

"Thanks Joey. Both of you. Now let's find him!"

"Right!" shouted Joey and Tristan in unison.

After Joey crossing through the water to the other side, the trio traveled alongside the flowing stream, searching for any sign of Yami at all. It wasn't long before they found something out of the ordinary – a trail of blood on the dirt, though barely visible. They traced the line of crimson from the river bank to a heap lying on the ground a few feet from them. Tea's eyes widened in horror as she quickly figured out what – or who – it was.

Yami's body lied sprawled out on the jungle floor, clearly unconscious. Upon turning him over, Tristan and the others discovered that he had several scrapes and bruises on his face, arms, and hands – no doubt the result from the struggle against the ferocious hold of the river's sudden current. His arms, elbows, and knees were smeared with dirt, which indicated that he came to (somehow), and crawled away from the river before collapsing from massive blood loss, or exhaustion, or both.

Tristan delicately propped up Yami's limp body on his arm; he saw dark crimson blood wipe off on his denim sleeve, and, credentialed in first aid, concluded that it was the remnants of the blood from where he hit his head, but it's clotted now, and he shouldn't be losing anymore.

"Looks like he lost a lot already, though," Joey pointed out. "He looks white as a sheet."

This definitely wasn't making Tea feel any better. She held back tears from seeing him like that. Joey was right – he was quite pale. If Tristan hadn't checked his pulse, he would have surely appeared dead, or nearly dead. She sadly looked away. Joey took note of this and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright," he assured her. "He'll be fine, I promise." Tea looked at him with a sad and desperate stare, as if pleading for more affirmation. Somehow she kept feeling pangs in her heart every time someone told her everything was going to be alright – especially when she knew they were not going to be.

Tea knelt at Yami's side, as Tristan gingerly lowered his body onto the ground, and removed his denim jacket to lay it across Yami's form.

"We've got to keep him warm to get the blood flowing," Tristan explained to her. "In the meantime, we must let him rest. Why don't you stay here and watch over him while Joey and I find some food. When he wakes up, we'll have food for him to help restore his strength." Tea nodded, fully understanding her instructions. "Right, good luck you two, and be careful."

"Same to you, Tea," he nodded back to her. The two teenage boys ventured off into the abyss of tall forest trees.

Tea still worried over the pharaoh's well being, as he lied before her in such a weakened state. She took one of his hands into her own – the same hand that held hers before they were separated – and gently caressed it with her thumb. His hand was deathly cold, and she grimaced at its icy touch.

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Meanwhile, our favorite tomb robber sat in the comfort and protection of his underground layer, watching over these scene of events - and becoming a little irritated - as his first plan to separate – and thus weaken – those four 'brats' failed. He hadn't predicted that the pharaoh, without wielding the sacred powers and strength of his precious Millennium item, had that much energy in him to pull himself out of the raging waters that were meant to swallow and drown him. _Surely, without the Millennium Puzzle in his possession, he was still weaker than normal, _he thought to himself, cracking a most evil grin. _Soon, he'll be gone for good and the rest of those adolescent fools will be trapped here and become my subordinate slaves for all eternity!_


	11. Another Dream

**Chapter 11**

_Yami slowly regained consciousness, discovering he was lying on a familiar secluded area, in the middle of the vast jungle. Beads of perspiration and moisture from the thick, wet air trickled down the sides of his head. That was the place that they had first arrived._

_He pushed himself to his elbows, wiping his forehead with one of them. While scanning the premises with his watchful eye, a menacing growl bellowed not far from him. Yami stood up instantly, summing up his courage, though strangely feeling alone and defenseless._

_"Who's there?" he asked, trying his best to sound more intimidating than he felt he was, to no one in particular._

_Silence. He felt his shoulders immediately tense up with anxiety._

_Out of nowhere came a great, screeching animal battle cry as Yami was set face-first into the soil in front of him, due to the sudden weight on his back. His muffled screams in pain-filled agony sounded as enormous and intensely sharp claws dug their way into the flesh on his back. Warm blood erupted from the punctured skin and began to stain his blue blazer as it rapidly spread._

_When he felt that the weight had finally let off of him, Yami pushed himself back up, with shaky arms, wincing at the sting of the gashes in his back, and the earthy taste of dirt shoved in his mouth. He sprinted forward a few steps, until he thought he was a safe distance away from the beast, before turning to face it. All he saw was a blur of white and faint black before he was sent to the ground again, this time on his back. The great beast roared threateningly as it pinned Yami to the ground, revealing its deadly white teeth, designed to tear its prey apart._

_Yami stared up at this creature with terribly frightened violet eyes. It had his Millennium Puzzle securely sandwiched between its mighty jaws. He eyed the treasure, wanting so much to retrieve it. The beast would surely not let him have it so easily. But something was wrong. Something was different._

_The white tiger met his gaze, staring straight back into his eyes with its black orbs, locking him into a sort-of trance. It looked almost... like it was longing for something. Pleading. As if it didn't actually want to hurt him at all; as if it really didn't wish to take anything from Yami that he treasured so deeply. Yami couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the tiger's. They reminded him of someone. A silhouette of someone familiar appeared in his mind. But he couldn't quite figure out who it was._

_The pressure on Yami's chest withdrew as the black-and-white-striped beast hoisted itself off of him, the rattle of chain against Millennium item clanging noisily. The tiger turned away from him and started to walk towards the labyrinth of trees ahead. Yami sat up slowly on his hands, and watched the creature without a sound as it turned its head briefly back to face him again. Its expression almost depicted...regret. Sadness._

_It faced front once again and strode into the jungle, tail swinging gracefully behind it. Yami continued watching it until it disappeared from his sight, his eyes wide, mouth slightly open._

_"Amazing creatures, aren't they?"_

_Yami snapped out of his daze with a start. He spun around, looking for the source of the familiar, venomous voice he loathed so much._

_"Bakura! Show yourself, coward."_

_The white-haired villain happily complied, stepping out of the vast darkness of the shadows of the tall trees. "I take it you're not happy to see me," he sneered._

_"Good grief. Cut the sarcasm, will you? I'd never be happy to see you."_

_"Aww..." Bakura yet continued with it, "I'm hurt."_

_"Shut up. Why am I here? What happened at the river? Where's Tea? And all my other friends?" Yami clenched his fists in his irritation as Bakura remained calm against the barrage of questions._

_"Slow down, pharaoh. One question at a time." Bakura snickered. "For starters, you're unconscious right now. Your body is drained of energy, and that credit belongs to yours truly." A wide, self-satisfied grin spread across his face. "You're supposed to be dead right now, but I suppose that I underestimated your strength, divorced from the divine powers of your puzzle."_

_"You tried to drown me?" Yami interrupted. Bakura's grin never moved._

_"But of course."_

_"Figures." Yami rolled his eyes, quite accustomed to the idea that Bakura wants nothing more than him dead._

_"And," Yami continued, "...Tea?"_

_"What about her?" Bakura shrugged innocently._

_"Stop being coy, Bakura, it's pissing me off. What happened to her? Is she alright?"_

_"Calm yourself, pharaoh. She's fine-" he raised his eyebrow, "-for now."_

_Yami gritted his teeth. How he loathed him so._

_"Do __not__ touch her, tomb robber. Understand?"_

_"Tsk, tsk. You still insist that you're in a position to be making demands. Pharaoh, don't you realize? I control this realm. You and your little pesky friends are completely at my mercy. In fact, I could kill you. Instantly. Your real body will never awaken, and poor little Tea will be so heartbroken to never being able to see the light in your eyes again."_

_Yami said nothing._

_Bakura let a heavy chuckle escape from his lips. "I can see the fear in your eyes, Pharaoh. I can tell you that I have no intention of killing you by natural means, or my own two hands... like I've said before, what fun would that be? I'd much rather defeat you in a shadow game with the rules twisted and manipulated in my favor, and have your mind suffer in the Shadow Realm for all of eternity. But, in the meantime, I greatly enjoy watching you struggle with little obstacles I create for you, and without the power of the Millennium Puzzle-" he glanced in the direction of where the tiger had departed earlier, "-it's far more interesting to watch you in the most devastating pain. The distortion on your face gives me...delicious tingles."_

_"You sadistic psycho..." Yami whispered, gritting his teeth harshly._

_"You caught me," said Bakura, shrugging casually. "However, as much as I'm enjoying our lovely chat, I really must be off. Got some...errands... to run. Ta ta!"_

_"Wait!" screamed Yami, reaching out his hand. "Come back, you son of a bitch! I still have questions..."_

_Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over him and plagued his body. His eyelids became increasingly heavy after every passing second. He dropped on all fours, trying to shake the fatigue off, before finally collapsing all the way and drifting off into a troubled sleep._

"Pharaoh? Are you awake?"


	12. A Knot of Confessions

**Chapter 12**

His head hurt something fierce. He felt little aches and stings from his various cuts and bruises littering his body. Beads of sweat tickled his skin as it rolled down his temples. He sat up with a start, Tristan's denim jacket sliding off his shoulders.

"Whoa...ow...where am I?" Yami asked, more to himself, not immediately registering that Tea was sitting right next to him. He felt like he's passed out and woken up in a strange place for about the umpteenth time now. Tea looked at him worriedly, concern stressing her face. Her eyes were still pink, and tracks of tears had dried on her cheeks, no doubt the result of her crying from worrying over him. He felt a little bad for doing that to her. She didn't deserve to be in the middle of his and Bakura's rivalry.

"Pharaoh!" Tea cried. "You're okay!" She threw her arms around him, so very much relieved that he was alive. Yami, suddenly realizing that Tea was there, and now hugging him, hesitantly returned her embrace. As he sat there, with Tea in her arms, everything came back.

"Bakura..." he muttered. He remembered everything in his dream, and what had happened before that. He guessed that the puncture wounds and gashes on his back from the tiger's claws weren't there anymore, though he hardly cared to check. The rest of his aches and pains still remained, though the discomfort had subsided slightly.

"Huh?" Tea questioned, her chin resting on his shoulder. Yami didn't want to tell her about his dream; it would worry her again. The last thing he wanted to do was make her panic. He gently rubbed small circles on her back with his hand. "It's nothing, Tea. Don't worry about it."

Tea let out a small breath of relief – not so much from his words, but by the warm and comforting touch of his hand on her back. That was reassurance enough. Yami sensed this, and had an idea.

"You know, you should relax a little bit more, you always seem stressed and worried about me," he told her. He removed his arms from her, making her let go of him and sit up. "I'll help you," he offered, and moved his finger in a circular motion, motioning for her to turn her back to him. Puzzled, she did so, not exactly knowing what to expect from such an unpredictable character.

"Close your eyes," he instructed her. His soothing voice could make her oblige to do anything it told her to do. She did as she was told. She didn't see Yami check to make sure she did.

The next thing Tea felt was Yami's strong and skillful hands wrapped around her shoulders and kneading the stress away from her muscles. She let a small sigh escape her system, feeling instantly relaxed as his fingers cured every knot in her back and shoulders. A smile appeared on her face, and it never went away. Her face felt a bit warm – and it wasn't from the weather. She knew she was blushing, but she didn't care. To hell with it, she was getting a massage from an incredibly brave and handsome former pharaoh, of whom cared for her, not to mention of whom she was undoubtedly in love with.

But still, he couldn't know that. And yet, at the river, it almost seemed like he felt similarly; that is, if it wasn't just a trick of her hopeful imagination...

His hands traveled to her lower back muscles, sending a fresh new wave of relief and absolute comfort through her entire body. She didn't get massages often; and when she did, none even came close in comparison to the one she was getting now.

"You are just a ball of stress, aren't you?" Yami teased. Tea giggled softly. "Well, I wouldn't be that way if I weren't out saving the world with you guys all the time!" She hoped that didn't come out the wrong way. She truly enjoyed their adventures together, and admired her friends for their bravery and determination; especially Yami, of course. Yami let out a small chuckle, and returned his concentration to working his hands to make Tea relax completely. He found a sizeable "rock" in the lower right region of her back, and used both of his thumbs to skillfully knead it away. That one had been bothering her for a while.

"Pharaoh...thank you _so_ much for this. I hadn't realized how much I needed it."

"I know. You're getting better at relaxing." He moved his hands back to her shoulders. Her left hand came up to meet his right hand. He paused from her sudden touch. She gripped his hand in a firm hold.

It was now or never.

Tea turned to face him. Her brilliant blue eyes met his deep and alluring violet eyes that so much resembled his voice. Her hand gripped a little tighter on his as she fought for the right words to come out of her mouth.

"Yami...erm...Atem...I..." she began. Her hand started to shake nervously. Yami felt this.

"It's okay, Tea. You can tell me anything. I'll listen, I promise." That small smile from him gave her the will to follow through.

"I..." – she bit her lip before continuing – "I love you, Atem."

She suddenly realized what she had said: the burden her heart had been bearing ever since he had saved her for the first out of numerous times. Part of her no longer cared whether or not he truly requited her love in that way, only feeling relieved that she had finally lifted that weight off her chest. But, naturally, the rest of her hoped and dared and dreamed that he felt something in return, and started to imagine the worst: that he didn't.

"Tea," Yami said, calmly freeing his hand from her grasp and taking her by the shoulders with his two hands. This is what she was afraid of. Already, she was seeing signs of rejection from him. Or, maybe her pessimistic side is clouding her mind.

"I already know that, silly," Yami laughed.

Was she really that obvious?

"Yes, you were that obvious," he muttered, as if reading her thoughts. Her eyes widened a little from anxiety. At this point, she had no idea what was going to happen next.

At first, Tea thought that she had imagined it, but after a while, she realized that Yami's face was inching closer to hers. As he got closer and closer, until their faces were inches apart, he removed his hands from her shoulders and cupped her cheeks delicately, as if he were trying to hold a bubble in his hand. The slight touch from his fingertips sent waves of chills down her spine.

Their lips had finally met, and Tea felt ultimate bliss.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds – appropriate for both of their first kisses. They felt each other's breath on their mouths for a moment before deciding to go in full throttle, letting their instincts take over. For a brief second, she wondered how a 5000 year old pharaoh, who constantly had to save the world and duel to save our lives (including his own), who probably had no time for relationships – in the past and the present – could be such an expert kisser. After that, she stopped caring altogether.


	13. A Couple of Spies

**Chapter 13**

"Dude, we shouldn't be doing this."

"Shush Tristan, they'll hear us."

"Don't you feel a little bad for spying on them? I mean, this is a private deal – "

"You listen to me Tristan! I've been waiting for them to hook up for years, and I know you saw it too!"

"All I know is that if we don't get this food over there, I'm going to eat it all."

"Fine then. Interrupt their romantic moment. Way to go..."

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't even get Mai to – "

"Hey, you wanna take this outside, man?"

"We're already outside, Wheeler!" Both short-tempered teenagers didn't seem to notice they've been raising their voices, far more than enough for the victimized couple to hear.

"HEY!" yelled a third voice. Joey and Tristan jumped, both cradling an armful of fruit, and looked up to see a tall brunette glaring at them, hands on her hips.

"Answer me this... do you think it's _funny_ to spy on us like that? Where is your discretion?"

A smirk spread across Joey's face. "Sorry Tea, that was just too cute. We couldn't resist."

"Can we _please_ just get this food to Yami? I'm getting hungry here!"

"Shut up Tristan," said Joey. "You've been eating fruit for an hour straight."

"Yeah, bring that stuff over here," Tea commanded, "before I gouge your eyes out for spying on me and Yami."

She spun on her heel and angrily stomped back to where she was with Yami, mumbling things to herself, some of which sounded like 'so rude' and 'I can't believe them'. Yami sat cross-legged on the ground, waiting patiently for her. He looked puzzled when he saw Tea return so irritated.

"Tea, remember what I said about relaxing?" Yami reminded her, laughing. Tea opened her mouth to protest when Joey's loud voice interrupted her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand lunch is served! Fruit, fruit, and... more fruit!"

"Ha, thanks Joey," Yami said to his blonde friend. He didn't seem to have contempt in his voice for Joey's spying on his and Tea's private moment. He gratefully took a yellow pear Joey offered him and took a large bite, savoring the nutrition he had been needing for quite some time. He felt his strength returning almost instantly.

"Glad to know you're okay, man," said Tristan, clapping him on the back.

"Yeah, you really had us worried," Joey chimed in.

Yami smiled. He felt so lucky that he had friends who cared for him. He looked over at Tea. He was more than lucky to have his undisputed love requited by someone so dear to him. But, as much as he wanted to bask in their bond of friendship and romance, it just wasn't the time nor the place. The four teenagers sat cross-legged in a circle, the overall mood flipped entirely.

"Okay guys," Yami said, setting his pear off to the side. "We need to figure out how to get out of here."

"No dice," said Tristan. "All we had figured out is how we got here. And we're not even sure if we're on the right track."

"Yeah," Joey continued for him, "we think that someone may have spiked our lemonade with... something. I dunno. But I do remember blacking out at Burger World and waking up here."

"Whoa, there!" Tea interrupted, skepticism in her voice. "That can't be true!"

"Why not?" Tristan asked. "You got a better explanation?"

"Uhh..." She didn't.

"No. It just seems a bit far-fetched, is all. But we'll figure all that out later. Where _are_ we, anyway?"

Even though they deserved to know, Yami thought twice before telling them.

"Guys, we're in the shadow realm."

"What?!" the other three exclaimed in unison. Yami held up his hand to indicate that there was more.

"This may look like a typical jungle out in the middle of nowhere, but Bakura cleverly disillusioned our minds into thinking that that's where we are. Fact is, we're in another realm."

"Oh _shit_... not the Shadow Realm again!" cried Tristan, munching on his fingernails. He really hated that place.

"Hold on a sec," Joey interrupted. "Did you say... 'Bakura'?"

"Yes," Yami answered. "The evil spirit of the ring is behind this. I don't know where the good Bakura is, but I doubt he is in good hands, with the evil Bakura running amok."

Joey gritted his teeth. "That bastard." He cracked his knuckles angrily. "No way is he getting away with trapping us here, and kidnapping Yugi in the Millennium Puzzle. He... is gonna pay."

"Now hold on, Joey," said Tea, putting a hand on Joey's shoulder, "you need to put a lid on your temper. Short-circuiting is not going to help us."

She turned to Yami, who seemed a bit troubled with the memory of Yugi being brought up again. She hoped to distract him. "Yami, how do you know it's him, anyway?"

"Confession time," he replied. "I've been having some rather strange dreams."

"Erotic dreams?" That earned Tristan a cold glare from Yami and a slap on the back of the head by Tea's hand.

"No, no, not like that. Bakura had been appearing in my dreams; I've had two so far. In the first one, Bakura had appeared in my soul room. And he, well, tried to kill me in there." – he looked down to his open hands, as if searching for his answers – "I felt the pain. It felt too real. I thought I was going to die, when..."

"When...?" urged Tea. Yami looked at her, again with that foreign stare, as if he had never met her before. It scared her.

"When you rescued me, Tea," he whispered, barely audible. "Well... erm... sort of. It was you, and it wasn't really you. The Dark Magician Girl took over your spiritual form in my mind to communicate with me. She – or you – temporarily banished Bakura out of my mind. She told me to keep you close to me, for you wield a great power inside you."

Tea blinked several times. "I...?" she gasped, forgetting to breathe for a moment. "I have a 'great power'? But how? That's not possible!"

"I don't know, Tea," Yami stated, placing his hand over hers in what he'd hoped to be a comforting way. "Let's hope you won't have to use it. But I put my full trust in the Dark Magician Girl, and so should you. If what she said is correct, then I'm going to need your help in rescuing Yugi, and defeating the evil spirit once and for all."

"You got it, Yami. So, what about your second dream?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on recollecting every detail of the second dream that he could remember.

"I was...back where we arrived when we came here, at that little secluded area just outside the trees. The...snow tiger thing came back, and..." – he tightened his grip on Tea's hand – "it had my puzzle in its teeth. After it attacked me, it held back, as if it didn't want to kill me, or even hurt me. It walked away, and shortly after, Bakura appeared. He said that I must defeat him in a Shadow game for us to escape and for me to rescue Yugi."

Tea had never felt so worried about him in her time knowing him. Whether it was their new bond they shared, or the imminent danger her gut feeling told her he was in, or anything else. She put out the daring question:

"What would happen if you were to...lose?"

Yami said nothing. He had a hunch.


	14. A Dark Intruder

**Chapter 14**

The tall, dark purple figure moved swiftly and silently through the maze of trees towards its prey, a damaged baby doll grasped tightly in the crook of its left arm. Its pale, cold eyes narrowed and focused in on the oblivious teenagers sitting cross-legged in an alleged circle in the clearing ahead. The eyes on the doll gleamed as its and its master's presence drew nearer to the young wanderers as they stealthily advanced.

_Good, my pet, you have located the brats. Now I want them weakened and defenseless so I can claim the pharaoh's soul and the Millennium Puzzle's power with ease!_

The figure crooned in response. A dark orb of energy formed in its free hand at the ready. It crouched in the veiling shadows, waiting patiently for its first victim.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Look, I'm telling you that's what happened!" Joey was becoming increasingly irritated at the skeptical looks from his friends. "I distinctly remember something funny about that lemonade we had at Burger World. Didn't taste right, and I didn't feel right afterwards. Tristan even said he felt the same thing. Right, Tristan?" He pointed at the brunette male, who shrugged indifferently. Tristan was feeling rather lethargic from the high temperatures, and didn't bother to back him up.

"We're not saying that we don't believe you, Joey," Yami calmly explained. "It's just that we don't have enough information that is testament to your and Tristan's theory."

"But, " Joey protested, "all you need to do is admit that you experienced the same thing. It would be less of a theory if we're all in agreement."

"He does have a point, though I don't even know why it matters anymore," Tea admitted, a little sourly. The heavy heat and humidity from the harsh sun was making her irritable. Yami sensed this immediately; the outrageous weather was taking its toll on all of them. "What do you think, Yami?"

"I think... we need to cool off," he replied while nodding towards the freely-flowing river a few feet from where they were, a touch of weariness in his own voice. Joey's hot head could only get hotter in these unfavorable conditions. The last thing Yami wanted was for the group to lose all sanity and start quarrelling. He received nods all around in agreement. He slipped off his boots and socks and laid them next to his uneaten pear.

As he stood up on his bare feet, Yami felt tightness in his limbs, and realized that he hadn't stood up since he was knocked out; how long ago was that? He wasn't entirely sure. Feeling the need to stretch, he closed his eyes and reached for the sky. For a moment, he forgot about the jeopardy they were all in; it felt good to stretch.

He had just started to relax his muscles when a loud, horrendous battle screech rang in the air, and a powerful force promptly hit him square in the chest, knocking him back down and making him land hard on his rumpus.* The others, startled, jumped back in surprise as they stared at Yami, who was rubbing his sore backside.

"What the_ hell_ was that?!" he questioned angrily, waiting for an answer from someone... anyone.

"I dunno!" answered Joey, pointing to the supposed direction of where the blast originated. "But it came from over there!"

"Are you okay, Yami?" Tea asked worriedly. Yami scrunched up his nose in response.

"I think I'm okay," he answered, still in shock from the sudden anonymous assault. All eyes were focused in the direction from where the blast came from. Tea took hold of Yami's arm and helped him up, shaking slightly. Joey took a bold step forward.

The whole gang saw it this time. They watched in surprise and horror as Joey was thrown backwards into the trunk of a nearby tree, due to a burst of dark energy colliding with his front.

"Joey!" his friends called out in unison. No response came from the blonde. He was knocked unconscious.

This time, the aggressor came into view, black fog billowing around its feet. Its dark orange breastplates stood out against the creature's contrasting blue-violet skin, silver armor, dark purple arm and leg pieces, and the old and worn somber-looking baby doll with a broken head cradled in its arms. The visage of this malevolent creature was quite terrifying for the gang. Tea cringed at the sight.

"What _is_ that?" asked Tristan, taking a step back.

"Dark Necrofear," Yami answered, seemingly devoid of any hint of fear in his voice. Truthfully, he had no idea what to do. He had never faced this creature outside of a duel – and he doubted that this Dark Necrofear was a mere hologram. He felt its power knock him clean off his feet.

"Stay back," he commanded to his friends. Fully knowing that this wasn't the best time to protest, Tristan and Tea obediently took several steps backwards, leaving the pharaoh standing his ground – still barefoot – in front. Tea briefly glanced over at her blonde friend's limp body on the ground a few feet behind her. "Joey..."

Yami bravely approached Dark Necrofear. "What do you want from us?" he demanded, asserting his deep, mature commanding voice to affirm that he would not be easily scared away. Dark Necrofear didn't answer; it just stared him down, unmoving. The doll in its arms also steered its stare towards Yami, seemingly-lifeless eyes shining with a dim, opaque glow. Its gaze bore into his eyes like threatening white-hot daggers. Yami was about to take another step forward to further confront the being in front of him, when he felt something strange. Something was not right.

He couldn't move.

A satisfied grin appeared on Dark Necrofear's face as it advanced towards its paralyzed victim. Yami tried to fight the spell to escape, but in vain; powerful magic from an outside source held every muscle in his body in place. And because he didn't have his Millennium Puzzle, he was unable to counter with his own magic. He was completely helpless.

"Shit..." he muttered under his breath. "A stunning spell."

Tea looked at him worriedly as the menacing creature prepared for another onslaught. Why wasn't he getting out of the way? Was he frozen in fear?

"Pharaoh! Get out of the way!"

Yami strained to look back at her with his eyes. She was trembling furiously; her eyes were as large as dinner plates. "I can't! I've been paralyzed!"

"What?!"

"Listen to me guys, I want you to run away as fast as you can! Get out of here, before this monster attacks you as well!" The creature raised its arm, ready to strike.

"No way man, we're not leaving you here!"

Tea couldn't take the stress. She fell to her knees, overwhelmed with her surroundings, and the shouting.

"Tristan, don't argue with me! Get out of here _now_!"

Dark Necrofear launched the attack. The mass of dark energy seemed to grow larger as it progressed towards its helpless target.

"There's no way we're just gonna bail and let this motherfucker beat the daylights out of you!"

Tea held her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. Warm tears flooded down her face. If she indeed had a hidden power like Yami said she did, she had to call upon it _right now_...

"Stop arguing with me! Get the _fuck_ out of here!"

"No!"

Yami shut his eyes tight (not even regarding the fact that he was able to move his eyelids), bracing himself for the impact.

_____________________________________________________________________________

* I know the term 'rumpus' actually means a 'disturbance' or 'commotion' or whatever, but I like to take it for its popular lexicon definition, meaning 'ass'... or 'bootylicious caboose', in Yami's case. :D


	15. Téa's Hidden Power

**Chapter 15**

Panic and anxiety erupted through Yami's body as he clenched his eyes shut, feeling the heat increase as the attack rocketed towards him at devastating speeds. He had long since given up physically fighting the spell that held him captive in his own body. Tristan watched helplessly as his buddy was about to be completely obliterated.

Despite the distress he was in, the pharaoh thought nothing of his eventual downfall in the sense of his own well being. His mind relentlessly taunted him in his failure of duties.

_Yugi... I- I'm so sorry I couldn't rescue you... I have failed in my duties to protect you with my life, and for that I am getting what I deserve... please, forgive me..._

Meanwhile, the tall, blue-eyed brunette had sunk to her knees in overwhelming anguish, clutching her hair harshly in her hands. Joey was down for the count, and the pharaoh was next...she couldn't take it. Especially not after he had just recently relayed his feelings to her, and hers to him. He can't be taken away from her. Not like this.

With the many emotions tumultuously churning and splashing about inside of her like a giant blender on turbo-speed, Tea felt a massive wave of energy warmly flood every inch of her body, starting at the base of her heart and spreading to every limb and muscle and nerve – so much that she was forced on her feet within seconds. Her heart was pulsating so violently she felt it would pound itself right out of her chest. Her vision was shrouded in a fountain of bright, multi-colored lights as she experienced a head-rush unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. And if that wasn't enough to absorb; she felt as if time was slowing down, significantly. The scenery in front of her – Yami about to be pulverized – seemed to be moving in slow motion.

However, what she saw in front of her as her vision cleared distracted her from all of the supernatural sensations coursing through her mind and body. Not only distracted her – it left her dumbfounded and completely speechless.

A full head of blonde hair turned around, and Tea immediately recognized the familiar, pink-cheeked and bubbly face. The blonde winked at her, as if sensing her recognition. Tea was at a loss of words, and mustered strength, courage, and everything inbetween to make a sound: "D-Dark Magician Girl?" her words were vocalized so quietly that she was almost sure she didn't hear her; but was assured by a simple nod that she either did, read her lips, or even heard her thoughts.

The young spellcaster, clad in female magician's bright blue attire including the long and handy magician's staff, smiled confidently and, much to Tea's surprise, placed her staff in Tea's trembling hands.

"Hold this for me, would'ja?" she asked the brunette in an angelic voice. "I'm gonna go rescue your boyfriend." With that, leaving Tea stunned and confused, Dark Magician Girl swiftly turned around and darted through the air in Yami's direction with lightning speed. Time seemed to have resumed traveling at regular speed as the blast of energy came hurdling mercilessly towards Yami's frozen form.

Yami was so caught up in his own reverie of self-disappointment that, for the first few seconds, he failed to notice the heat that was fast approaching him had promptly vanished; and instead of feeling 3rd, 4th, 5th degree burns, he felt a sharp gust of cool air as he felt himself being lifted to safety in midair. Though his whole body was still frozen by the stunning spell, he could feel two small, but firm hands grasped tightly underneath his underarms. It felt a little weird – not to mention somewhat silly – that his paralyzed form was being carried through the air like some sort of life-sized plastic doll. Even his bare feet remained adamant to their original position on the ground, of which they were soon reunited with as Dark Magician Girl gingerly lowered him back down to the solid earth floor, about two feet from where she had left the still-bewildered brunette standing. Tristan had joined her, dumbstruck as well.

"You okay, man?" he asked the stunned pharaoh. Yami tried to nod, and remembered that he couldn't; a simple "yes" was vocalized instead.

Dark Magician Girl landed softly in front of Tea, casually taking the staff from her hands. She knew that she wasn't an advanced enough magician to lift the stunning spell from Yami, but she hoped that this tactic would work just as well. But it would have had to be executed with preciseness, or all was lost.

"Stay back!" the young spellcaster commanded. Yami obviously wasn't able to obey, as he stood right where said spellcaster had placed him; Tea only stood behind his right shoulder, clutching both it and his other, terrified out of her wits. Everything was happening so fast; it was hard for one who wasn't too familiar with supernatural powers to keep up. Tristan stood on Yami's other side protectively. They all watched Dark Magician Girl as she charged up a ball of energy emanating from the tip of her staff. Her fierce jade-green eyes narrowed in complete concentration on her target.

Dark Necrofear, however, didn't seem too daunted by the seemingly harmless threat presented in front of it. In the game, Dark Necrofear has 2200 attack points, while Dark Magician Girl stands at a mere 2000. Though this was hardly a game anymore, Dark Necrofear was clearly more powerful. What the blonde spellcaster was planning to do was beyond anyone – or any_thing_ – else present.

"Dark Necrofear, prepare to meet your match!" Dark Magician Girl proudly declared, pointing her fully-charged staff at the dark creature threateningly. The evil figure sneered, standing its ground. Yami watched in horror as the bright light shot out of Dark Magician Girl's staff and raced towards its target; she was clearly wasting her energy on an attack that would have no effect. But something seemed off – her attack wasn't aimed directly at Dark Necrofear...

Ear-splitting shrieks rang though the air as Dark Necrofear's baby doll was struck by the full force of the blast, causing a mid-sized explosion of bright orange smoke, smashing the doll into a million pieces of porcelain before they, too, faded away into nothingness. Its parent staggered a bit, reeling from the loss. It had clearly weakened from it as well; it didn't have the same confident poise as it once did, and its intimidating, powerful air had faltered.

Yami exhaustedly fell to his knees, suddenly regaining all his senses. His limbs and muscles were sore after being held in place for so long. Tea felt him drop to the ground, and knelt down beside him.

"You can move!" she exclaimed, relief evident in her voice. Yami smiled weakly at her. She returned his smile by excitedly throwing her arms around his shoulders. Dark Magician Girl turned around, a warm smile on her own face as well. Not even bothering to wait for questions to be asked, she began to explain.

"The doll was the source of the stunning spell, so I destroyed it; thus removing the spell, not to mention weaken its master. And now since the enemy is caught off guard, my power should be more than enough to destroy it." She returned her gaze to her adversary, a cold and menacing expression masking her sweet face.

"And now, be gone, creature of darkness!" With a triumphant yell, Dark Magician Girl spun the staff in her hand with skillful grace, and hurdled a blast from her whole being with all her might. The energy waves channeled into her staff and sped towards Dark Necrofear in a fully focused laser beam. The weakened creature hung its head in defeat, not even making a sound as it was blasted away.

Tea was so distracted by the sheer wonder of the scene played in front of her, she was caught off guard when the energy spent on the exertion of power suddenly left her in a rush, causing her to collapse into Yami's warm and inviting arms.


	16. The Hostage

**Chapter 16**

About twenty minutes had passed since Tea had fallen unconscious, exhausted from the feat of maintaining a summoning of such a powerful monster for so long. Yami, being far from a stranger to magic similar to this, immediately understood and related to this phenomenon, as he held his arms out to catch her as she gracefully fell. Both were still kneeling on the ground, her bare knees and his pants smeared with dirt. Tristan soon joined Yami as he hauled Joey's limp body over and carefully laid it down.

"Is he okay?" Yami asked Tristan, nodding to Joey. Tristan merely nodded in reply – his face showed that of clear concern and disapproval, aside from the raw anger that wasn't rare for him.

"Damn it. This is fucked up, man," he said bitterly through clenched teeth. "Bakura is going to pay hell for this. This has gone way too far. Two of our friends are wiped out and two other friends are nowhere to be found."

Yami's face tensed at Tristan's words. He was right: it was fucked up. Why can't people just leave him, his friends, and the world alone? Why does it always have to be him who suffers?

Besides him, Yugi and Bakura had clearly suffered the most. Yugi was always in danger, because he wielded the power of the Millennium Puzzle, containing the spirit of an ancient pharaoh with ancient powers that everyone seemed to want to get their hands on. Bakura was always under the manipulation of the very evil spirit that has caused them a world of hell and danger – example being the current predicament they were in. And both Yugi and Bakura were missing.

His gaze returned to the sleeping form in his arms. Her face, leaning heavily against his arm, was slightly moist, no doubt perspiration from the effort and the heat. Her breathing was slow and steady, giving her an almost peaceful appearance – save for the hair. Her usually-neat chocolate-brown hair was tangled, messy, damp, and askew. If Joey were conscious, he'd undoubtedly point it out as 'sex hair'.

Yami mentally chuckled at the thought. He figured a little hypothetical comic relief wouldn't hurt.

Her soft, fair skin enticed him so much to just… touch her. Seeing no reason to fight the urge, he smoothly guided his fingers along the flawless skin of her arm. She didn't move a muscle – clearly still out cold. Yami continued to caress her arm gently, worry and concern etched on his handsome features.

* * *

"What do you want from me?" squeaked a small teenager, bound by the wrists and ankles by dark energy rings suspended in midair. The hostage squirmed and resisted against his restraints, but to no avail. Shadow magic exceeds any human's strength any day; this boy was no exception.

"Nothing from _you_, little runt," retorted the captor menacingly, as if the boy had cursed his family or something equally as offensive. "I want something from your Pharaoh friend, and you're going to help me get it."

"I'll never help you," spat the hostage defiantly. "All you do is hurt people to suit your sadistic fancy, and to assist you in your quest for power."

The dark figure grinned at the boy, showing off pristine white teeth that stood out in the shadows. He reached out a hand and twisted it into the boy's hair, harshly wrapping his fingers over the soft locks of black, red, and blonde. The victim yelped in pain as his face was dragged closer to his captor until they were inches apart.

"You are both right and wrong, Yugi. You're right in the fact that I want power more than anything else. And that I am a sadistic maniac who takes pleasure in tormenting souls and taking away what means most to them. You're spot on with that one, pipsqueak.

"However, you _will_ help me get the power I desire, whether you like it or not." The figure shrugged slightly, "not that I didn't doubt you'd stick up for your friend the Pharaoh. Your pathetic friendship bond is a bunch of bullshit. Besides, the pharaoh won't come for you."

"Yes he _will_, Bakura," replied Yugi, between intermittent cries of pain. "Just you wait. He'll come."

Bakura suddenly released his grasp on his hostage's hair, his composure unmoved and a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"No you won't, and I'll tell you why. He's dead; I killed him."

Yugi did not care to hide his emotions; his eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the floor. Tears instantly lined the brims of his eyes and his lip quivered uncontrollably.

"No…" he barely whispered. "No, you couldn't have… you bastard…"

Tears cascaded down his prepubescent-looking face like a waterworks finale. "No… no… Yami… pharaoh… how could you…"

Sad eyes averted to Bakura as the dark form cackled with the most maniacal laughter, showing no remorse whatsoever. The snow-haired man laughed joyously, as if he were at a grand feast.

"You can't honestly tell me you believed that, Yugi?" Bakura croaked with his slightly hoarse voice between fits of laughter. He saw Yugi's confused expression, so he continued, "of _course_ I didn't kill him… I want to play a shadow game with him for Ra's sake! Why the bloody hell would I kill him now? If I did, that would most definitely put a damper on my plans."

"Oh God…" Yugi let out a quite troubled sigh of relief. His yami was alive. Thank Ra.

"You really are quite gullible, young one."

"Shut up! That wasn't funny, Bakura! You had me thinking that my own yami was _dead_! DEAD! How could you do that to me?" The sobbing made his voice shake slightly. He felt weak, and he knew he sounded weak. But he didn't care.

"I'll get you for this…"

* * *

"Tea? Tea, are you okay?" A familiar smooth baritone voice filled her ears in the most melodic way possible. Her eyes slowly creaked open to meet a pair of beautiful, yet worried, violet eyes. The eyes that she had fallen in love with, along with the man attached to them. She gave him a small smile, indicating that she was alright. Yami sighed in relief.

"I was so worried about you, Tea," he told her. "But I'm so proud of you. Not many human beings can withstand the mental stress of summoning and maintaining such a powerful monster." He brushed her cheek with his fingers lovingly, making her eyes slowly close again, enchanted by the feel-good warmth of his touch. "And thank you for saving my ass too, by the way."

"You're welcome, then," Tea replied, eyes still closed. His touch was so… intoxicating.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty and savior of the day!" came Tristan's booming voice, obliviously interrupting the moment. Tea's eyes shot open and she struggled to sit up. She managed to do so after Yami gently propped her up further with his hand.

"Wow, it feels a little different to be the hero for once," she said.

Yami snorted at her remark. "Now try doing that every time someone is in danger."


	17. A New Direction

Yes, I am aware that I make all the villains act like real assholes. It's just more fun and realistic that way.

Anyway, here's the 17th chapter… not so sure how long this story will continue. I'm having consistent writer's block. I'm writing some oneshots until my inspiration comes back. If you have any suggestions, please, don't hesitate to let me know. I want to actually finish this thing.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

It was like jumping from one helpless victim to the next. He loved it.

The white-haired sadist pushed out his tan, well-muscled chest and pulled back his shoulders, creating several _cracks_ and _pops_ in his back. He'd been sitting and waiting all this time; a stretch felt nice.

A small, disturbed grunt came from the cage sitting in front of him. But it wasn't a human grunt; it was an animal. A large beast of great power and magnificent body structure. Sharp white teeth, menacing claws designed to cut through flesh with ease. Fur a brilliant alteration of inky black and bright white.

However, this particular white tiger was in no such authority, to roam free and prey on helpless wild boar, cattle, and deer. This beast was a captive, under the mercy of a vengeful dark spirit.

Said man approached the cage casually, a gleam in his dark, ruthless eyes. He grabbed a cage bar with one hand and stroked the cold, rusty metal with his thumb. "Hello, Bakura."

A swirl of dark purple shadows circled around the beast, leaving behind a pale figure sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor. The thick, snow-white hair resembled the dark spirit's, only a little less wild and unkempt. The smaller albino's skin was tainted with dirt and sweat, complimentary to the miserable expression across his face.

"The pharaoh will be arriving soon. I can sense him."

The boy was too weak and intimidated to make a sound. Bruises and cuts decorated his arms, legs and face as painful evidence of the consequences of trying to defy him. He completed his mission; he retrieved the Millennium Puzzle from the pharaoh and escaped before he could get it back. The spirit of the Millennium Ring was satisfied with the accomplishment, but now didn't quite know what to do with his light half. Afraid to set him free and risk him warning the others of the dangers that would soon befall them, he kept Ryou in captivity until the group of teenagers would arrive.

* * *

"Ow…_fuck_…my head hurts," complained the Brooklyn blonde, now conscious and grumpy from the pounding headache.

"Hey, at least you're alive," Tea pointed out. "At least we're all alive."

"Amen to that," Tristan chimed in.

Yami, however, was uncharacteristically quiet. The three teenagers picked up on this right away, and glanced at the spiky-haired teen sitting cross-legged across from them, eyes glued to the ground. He had earlier acknowledged Joey's recovery, but had fallen silent mere moments after. There was a sad, mourning look in his eyes that sent a pang in Tea's heart. An awkward, heavy silence hung in the air.

"Y- yami? Are you alright?"

Yami didn't seem to notice everyone becoming aware of his behavior; he slightly jumped in surprise when addressed. "Yes, Tea… I… I'm fine." It didn't take long for Tea to figure out what could be on the pharaoh's mind.

"You miss Yugi, don't you?" Yami glanced up at her, noticing the seriousness in her expression. He sighed.

"Yeah, I just miss him, that's all. And I'm extremely worried about him." His eyelids blinked slowly, feeling a small urge in the back of his mind to let go of some tears. But now wasn't the time for tears.

He felt a soft, but firm hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Yami. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine. And we'll find him for sure. Have faith."

On cue, the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead, gently urging him in a random direction with invisible hands on his shoulders. It didn't have its usual glorious and confident shine; it was weak and barely visible due to the Puzzle being so far out of reach, but he could feel it internally guiding him. Tea didn't seem to notice it.

He suddenly got to his feet, to the rest of gang's surprise and confusion. His eyes darted warily, as if sensing danger near. Tea stood with him, taking his hand in hers and not taking her eyes off his face. He returned the small embrace, though his hand rigid and shaking slightly.

"I know where we need to be going," he finally stated nonchalantly. He then took a step in the direction he was facing, and continued to walk without looking back, as if he were in a trance.

"And how da hell do you know?" questioned Joey, still irritable from his bodily discomforts.

"Just trust me, Joey," Yami coolly replied. "I know where I'm going. I can sense it."

No one in the gang ever doubted the pharaoh when he said that. They knew from first and secondhand experiences that he was to be taken very seriously. There was no further hesitation in following him.

* * *

Short chapter, I know. Sorry. I'm thinking if I muscle through a writer's block then I would start writing crap. I'll have to wait until the inspiration is fresh and juicy. In the meantime, look out for my oneshots!


	18. Whirpool

**And the much-anticipated Chapter 18 is posted. I'm going to wrap up this story soon, so the plot is definitely going to start moving along now.**

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**Chapter 18**

Silence ensued as Yami suddenly paused in his stride. He stopped at the river. The gentle tugging sensation he felt earlier was fading away, slowly. It seemed with every passing second, he was losing contact with the Millennium Puzzle. Expletives threatened to emerge from his mouth, but he held back.

"Somethin' wrong, Yami?" he heard Joey ask. He didn't say anything for a good few seconds.

"I think I've lost contact with the Millennium Puzzle. I'm losing my powers."

"Oh no," Tea whispered.

It was surprising how suddenly it came to him. His sharp violet eyes followed the river's current for as long as he could see. It seemed to lead through the forest and beyond for miles and miles. He wondered where it led. Something in his mind urged him to follow it…

Yami, for the first time in a while, turned to his friends with a somewhat determined smirk on his face. "You guys up for a swim?"

The gang was soon floating along the river's fast current, Yami in the lead, and everyone else following close behind. Yami periodically checked on them – especially Tea – to make sure they didn't hit obstacles or have some sort of a mishap along the way.

"Couldn't we have made a raft or something?" Joey complained.

"We don't exactly have an endless amount of time, dumbass!" Tristan snapped.

For once, Joey didn't counter. Yami turned his head to make sure Joey wasn't drowning or something; instead he swam with a discontent look on his face. Yami returned his focus to what was in front of him, and exhaled sharply as he narrowly missed a large rock implanted in the middle of the river bottom.

"Watch the rock!" Yami yelled to his friends. A few seconds had passed and he once again checked on his friends. They were fine. But he noticed something as he once again returned his focus to the front.

The current was moving _much_ faster.

"This can't be good," he said to himself.

"Whoa…" he couldn't tell if it was Joey or Tristan who said it.

"Yami! Look!" Tea shouted behind him.

He was already looking – the river current forcefully pulled the group of teenagers into a…

…whirlpool?

It definitely looked like one; Yami was afraid of that. He tried to force himself towards the river's edge, but his bare feet was swept under him as his body tumbled in the water. His head was submerged before he could inhale an adequate amount of air. All he could hear were the devastated screams of his friends as he, occasionally successfully, struggled to surface for air. He panicked in memory of the last time he was in this river.

* * *

The four friends spiraled 'round and 'round the giant swirling chasm of water, helpless and screaming and panting. Yami was the first to hit the center as his body violently spun and entered the heart of the whirlpool. He felt himself fall a great height before colliding with a stone-solid surface with great force. Everything became black after that.

* * *

Yami's mind woke up before his eyes did. His side and face were sore, undoubtedly from the fall. For a blissful moment, he wanted to stay on the ground and sleep longer, until it had occurred to him that he had to get up _now_. He forced his eyes open and pushed himself up to sitting position. His eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Tea, Joey, and Tristan were nowhere to be found.

Yami's heart quickened in blind panic. He seemed to be in a small, musty old sanctuary. The brick walls were oozing with mold and dirt. The air was cold and carried a strange odor – from where it came, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Yami?"

He knew that voice! Could it be…?

"Yugi?"

* * *

"Tea, _wake up_!" an urgent, and yet subdued, pleading entered the brunette's ears as she slowly regained consciousness. The ill smell of an unclean animal instantly entered her nostrils. She opened her eyes to see her friends, Joey and Tristan, standing before her with frozen fear written on their faces.

They were trapped in a large cage, and they were sharing it with a rather large and frightening creature.

* * *

There he was, in his spiky-haired glory, the Ancient Pharaoh's Mini-Me.

Gods, Yami was so happy to see him.

"_Yugi_!" he cried, jumping to his feet. He ran towards the captured boy, stumbling a bit. He was probably knocked out for quite some time.

Yugi remained as he had been for hours – bound by the wrists and ankles and held in midair by dark energy rings. He hung low enough for the spirit to throw his arms around him in a reuniting embrace, though it couldn't be returned.

"Yugi… I've missed you terribly," Yami whispered; an edge of exhaustion in his voice trailed his words.

"I've missed you too, Yami. I knew you would come."

Yami promptly released his grip on the boy and began to feel the restraints on his wrists. He wouldn't be able to break these easily, especially without his Millennium Puzzle. His eyes darted around the mysterious chamber, searching for it as well as mentally reaching for a hint of its presence.

"Looking for this?" Upon hearing a third voice enter the room, he suddenly felt the Item's power.

Yami whipped around, remaining standing in front of Yugi protectively. His eyes narrowed with contempt as Bakura entered the room, the Millennium Puzzle in his worn, calloused hands.

* * *

So basically this is what I can come up with due to being a full-and-a-half-time music (performance) major while working a part-time job and commuting an hour to school every day. Excuses, excuses. Oh woe is the college student.


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